Caprera

Caprera

Location: Italy (Sardinia, Magdalena Archipelago)
Village type: tents then huts.
Year opened: 1956
Year closed: 2006/2007

For the record: The village opened in 1955. It is not Mediterranean but Magical.
Jacques Giovannoni, Italian-French architect, on behalf of the "Magical Village" club, addressed to the mayor of La Maddalena Pietro Ornano a request for a concession, for a period of twenty years renewable, for land located to the north of the island of Caprera named "Garibaldi pine forest" and "I Chiusi", in order to install a village capable of accommodating 300 people with the support of the provincial tourist office.

This request caused a great stir and reached the ears of General Ezio Garibaldi (grandson of Giuseppe Garbaldi), as indicated by his letter of April 27, 1955 to the mayor of La Maddalena.

 » In the newspapers, I learned the incredible news that, on the island of Caprera, they want to create a kind of entertainment village to accommodate the masses of tourists, especially during the summer season: all for profit.
I would be most grateful, Mr. Mayor, if you could give me precise information that would assure me whether or not such desecrations on the most sacred island of the Italians are true. Please accept my warmest thanks.
General Ezio Garibaldi.

The village opened in June 1955 in the colors of the Magic Villages. At the end of their stay, the villagers parted ways and promised to meet again the following year on the island of 132 coves, especially since a project to extend the village was planned. 

The merger or takeover of the Magic Village by Club Med took place at the end of autumn 1955.     

The village was first presented to the GMs in the January 1956 issue of Trident magazine under the title "Club Island." For the first three years, the GMs slept in tents. It wasn't until 1959 that the first Polynesian-style huts arrived in the village. The following year, Caprera presented a completely new look. 

Caprera remained one of the club's star villages for a long time. It was awarded several Oscars at the time, given to the best village of the year.

1957 The horse and the sail.

Caprera became a mecca for water sports. Water skiing was tried in 1956, but the activity was quickly discontinued due to strong winds. Scuba diving and sailing would go on to make the village famous.

Another activity, this one land-based and unexpected, emerged in 1957. That year, the village welcomed the Club's first riding school. It was located in the large meadow behind the pine forest.

Besides these activities, numerous excursions, camping trips, and adventures are offered. The village also has a satellite village at Cala Volpe.

On July 21, 1979, part of the village caught fire during the afternoon. 80 houses were affected. Nearly 300 GMs lost everything.

Caprera closed its doors in 2007. During the last 2 years of its operation, it was intended solely for the Italian market.

The journey

The first departure in the Club's colours took place from Gare de Lyon in Paris on the evening of May 26, 1956, by special train. A stop in Rome followed, then boarding a boat to Olbia, first by car and then by caique. 

The following year, the Club offered its members, for an additional fee, a rail+air travel package. This involved a special train from Paris to Marseille, followed by boarding a seaplane. This package was also offered to members for Corfu, Paleokatritsa, and Cefalù, but was discontinued the following year for Caprera. Corfu, Paleokatritsa, and Cefalù would then be served by air from Paris

Village chiefs

Many people have succeeded one another at the helm of the village during the fifty years that the village has existed.

Robert Metraux was the first of them in 1956, Jean Balandjian, Pops, René' Hallemans, Avner, Czopp… Angelo Nuara closed the village in 2006.

And today.

Since 2007, when the village closed due to the non-renewal of its concession, the site has been abandoned and is no longer maintained. The huts are crumbling. Vegetation is reclaiming the land. Images of what remains of the village circulate on social media. They are heartbreaking to see.